Indian Racing Festival returns to Buddh International Circuit after 13 years

New Delhi: The Indian Racing Festival will return to the Buddh International Circuit after 13 years, with the F4 Indian Championship and Indian Racing League set to be staged at the Greater Noida venue on October 31 and November 1.

The F4 Indian Championship will stage its fourth round of the 2026 season, while the Indian Racing League (IRL) will compete in its second round at the 5.125-km circuit, which previously hosted the Formula 1 Indian Grand Prix and MotoGP Bharat.

Also read | Rs 8.15 crore for 27 players: Why this is WPL's tightest auction yet


The F4 title race has intensified following the third round at the Madras International Circuit, where Goa Aces JA Racing's Luviwe Sambudla emerged as the championship leader with 138 points.

Sambudla won the first two races after starting from sixth place on the grid before finishing third in the final race. He holds a 21-point advantage over Kichcha's Kings Bengaluru's Aris Kyriakou.

Speed Demons Delhi's Ntiyiso Mabunda finished second in all three races in Chennai, including the opening race in which he climbed from 10th on the grid.

Kolkata Royal Tigers' Aaron Mehta won the third race from pole position, edging Mabunda by 0.546 seconds. At 15 years, six months and six days, Mehta became the youngest winner in Indian F4 history.

Also read | India to criminalise doping supply chains to boost bid to host Olympics

With Sambudla looking to consolidate his lead and his rivals aiming to close the gap, the Buddh round could prove crucial in the championship battle.

The IRL will also see teams and drivers return to action as the competition gathers pace in the 2026 season.